'Glee' recap: 'Makeover' introduces Sarah Jessica Parker

"Makeover," which "Glee" co-creator Brennan wrote and Eric Stoltz directed, wasn't a Very Special episode like last week's "Britney 2.0." There was no musical icon to celebrate or serious social issue to tackle. There was a special guest star in Sarah Jessica Parker, but Brennan knows how to write to that having previously penned Gwyneth Paltrow's debut episode "The Substitute" and Ricky Martin's "The Spanish Teacher."

More importantly, Brennan knows how to keep "Glee" light on its feet. "Makeover" was both the most relaxed and best episode we've seen so far in Season 4. We're still making progress.

This was the first week where the show felt like it had room to breathe while also servicing both sides of its newly split focus. In Ohio, Blaine decided to run against Brittany for student council president, with Sam and Artie as their respective running mates. In New York, Kurt applied for an internship at Vogue.com and found an instant connection with Parker's Isabelle Wright, a stark contrast to the bitter taskmaster Kate Hudson's been playing at NYADA the last two weeks.

Both locations also had a simple secondary subplot -- Mr. Schuester's creative crisis, Rachel's escalating flirtation with Brody -- and left it at that. By "Glee" standards, that's positively restrained. Even better, almost every one of the storylines succeeded as fun (the election), sweet (Isabelle's improbable but delightful mentoring of Kurt) or simply overdue (Schuester realizing he needs more to do). The least successful moments all involved Dean Geyer's unrelentingly poor performance as Brody, but the good news is that he was the only one of the significant new additions to play a major role in the episode.

Once again, I've got to say that Finchel fans are fighting the good fight on the Brody situation. Not because there's no reason Rachel shouldn't at least try dating someone else -- I'd actually love the idea of a credible, truly conflicted college love triangle a la "Felicity" -- but because after three episodes of Brody there's no question the character is an unequivocal dud. What a relief it was to see Finn turn up on Rachel's doorstep at the end. If only for the hope that Lea Michele will soon be back to sharing romantic scenes with someone at her level.

Back to the positives, I appreciated the way Brennan kept drawing connections between success and disappointment through Isabelle's concern that she's not good enough for her job, Will's inability to find inspiration after scoring at Nationals and Blaine's realization that winning the election only meant something if he had Kurt to share it with. Very often, "Glee" is a show about chasing your dreams. And "Makeover" was an episode that very maturely considered how achieving a dream isn't always enough.

But mostly this was an hour that was as playful, witty and charming as "Glee" gets. Even the music selections were looser and more lighthearted than normal. There wasn't a current Top 40 hit anywhere in earshot. The picks only got as contemporary as Hole's "Celebrity Skin" from 1998 and Sheryl Crow's "A Change Will You Do Good" from 1997 -- both released near the end of Brennan's teenage years, which may have lent them a certain sentimental value with the writer.

I liked both of those, plus Blaine's spin on Tears for Fears' '80s anthem "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," but the musical highlight was a boldly old fashioned production number set to a mashup of Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" from "Annie" (the musical which helped launch Parker's acting career on Broadway). Parker -- who was terrific throughout the entire episode -- collaborated with Michele and Chris Colfer on the highly theatrical rendition, which proved far more memorable and winning than the rushed "How soon can we get this on iTunes?" selections increasingly dominating the show.

So yeah, I wish there were more episodes of "Glee" carrying Brennan's "written by" credit. But I'm almost always happy with the ones we get.

Stray thoughts:

- While I appreciated seeing Jake and Marley reduced to virtually non-speaking extras, I wish Vanessa Lengies actually had a reason for her guest appearance. Maybe the reveal that the show hasn't abandoned last season's random Artie/Sugar romance was enough.

- I'm not even going to touch the "hate watch 'Treme'" joke. I'll just mention that it was there.

- Although this season has already been an improvement for Matthew Morrison over last, "Glee" still has a Schuester problem (there's just less and less for him to do). And it was surprising to see his planned "Mister Monotony" number with Sue cut from the episode. (Fox even posted two promotional stills from the performance on their press site.)

- Add George W. Bush and John Wayne to Sam's list of impressions, "hilarious 100% of the time."

- Next week's episode has the title that sent shippers everywhere into a frenzy: "The Breakup." Who will it be? Rachel and Finn? Kurt and Blaine? Santana and Brittany? Why does it feel like it's just going to be Mr. Schu and Miss Pillsbury?

Geoff Berkshire lives in Los Angeles and writes about film and television. His work has appeared in Variety, the L.A. Times, and Premiere, among other publications. He is the former national entertainment editor and film critic for Metromix.com.

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Completly agree, it was a boring episode. And I don't understand what they are trying to do with Rachel, the thing with Brody seemed soo pushed and they are starting to put her in a bad light. Wasn't she so proud of who she was? It's hard to believe this storyhonestly.

if this is the first time you've seen rachel having fun and being happy, maybe you need to go back to previous seasons and watch finn and rachel interactions when they were together. the brody/rachel scenes you've seen is only an iota of what finn and rachel have shared, and not enough to make a general conclusion on rachel's disposition at all. and yes, i agree with you, the actor playing brody is not a good actor, not even close to the mediocre background actors that we see on glee. and that's how sue sees it.

I follow a wide variety of people who like different glee characters and ships. Even Finchel tumblr who of course are the one that don't like him. Also petty I re blogged one gif with Brody and Rachel and lost 3 Finchel followers.

Irene, Brochel trended worldwide. Ignore that if you want to and if it makes you sleep at night easier, but it happened. I don't have tailored trends, I changed it to worldwide and saw it. But, keep denying it

Yeah, Brochel definitely didn't trend WW. Tailored if anything. Also, tumblr and fandom-inspired names represent online fandom, so even if it had trended, it says nothing little what the GA think of Brody (which at this point is not much)

I could'nt disagree with you more about Brody. What's wrong with most casting today is the idea that two stars equal chemistry. Rachel and Brody have so much chemistry that every time they are together I'm waiting for clothes to fly. On the other hand I felt zip in the chemical department with Finn.

Couldn't agree more with your assessment of Dean Geyer/Brody! Absolutely couldn't have said it better myself. He is an useless character ... and an even more so useless actor. Had to throw in the kiss with Lea only to help his popularity rise on the back of Lea's. Although after this episode, Lea's character Rachel has taken a massive blow and there's alot of hate out there at the moment.

So much for Brody not coming between Finchel ... what a load of crap that was. I'm only watching the Break Up episode next week just so I can break up with Glee too. I'm not enjoying this season at all. My patience has totally run out with this show, and that also upsets me as Glee has been a big part of my life for the past 3 years.I will continue to support Cory and Lea in their careers, but as far as Glee goes - I'm seriously done. You can't keep treating the viewers like that and expect us to stick around!

Unfounded hate on Rachel which says a lot about the shippers. She is broken up with on her wedding day and Finn doesn't communicated with her for over 2 months yet she is wrong for starting to move on. How does that even make sense? Even Finn step brother thinks she needsot move on and reiterated that he set her free.

If Rachel is to have a new love interest, let's face it, this is Glee and these writers are never gonna leave Rachel alone to be single, I truly agree with you about the plot needing to be a credible, truly conflicted love triangle. But in order to do that, you need interesting characters and good actors. But they ain't got it in Brody. The character is bland. What's the interesting thing about him? That he really likes Rachel and can ride the subway? And the actor is really cute but also bland. I'm sorry. You're not selling me Rachel's new romance and I was so on board with a new exciting new storyline for Lea Michele, who I believe is one of the most talented young actresses on TV right now.

Here they come the Finchel faithful, I mean the Finn fans to shout down Brody again.He is fine and the story has just started. And give me a break you wouldn't like anyone who isn't Finn. I don't care if it was George Clooney romancing Rachel.

that's where you're wrong making generalizations about finchel fans. we are not delusional viewers; we're not like other shippers whose mantra is anybody but finn. the actor playing brody is just not believable as someone rachel berry would fall for, after almost marrying finn hudson and declaring to all and sundry that finn is the love of her life, her hero, and she'll never turn her back on him. and of course, i have no doubt that george clooney would be excellent as a brody, and we would believe him, too. unfortunately, your brody guy just is not even remotely close to george clooney.

Lol yeah Danielle Finchel fans aren't delusional viewers lol. Keep telling yourself that and keep holding a 17 year old to things she said before ever truly experiencing another real relationship. Keep yell 'no one but Finn' while accusing others of wanting anyone but that overgrown man child as being the 'delusional' ones. You're missing out on some great chemistry and the chance to see Rachel with a decent guy so our loss

MIA, it's not only the fans who are seeing this character as anything but a cardboard narrative device. If you hit up all the other Glee review articles written by legitimate TV critics, they aren't being very Brody-friendly either.

Mike, well no it's not only the fans as non Finchel stans actually seemed to genuinely like Brody. You don't that's fine, but lol don't generalise that all 'fans' dislike the character when he actually appealed to a lot of people

Honestly, after the last episode, I'm no longer giving my Thursdays to Glee. Despite not having watched since Ghost Denny, I watched Grey's Anatomy instead last night, and it made me wonder why I ever stopped watching.

At least Dean and Lea have intense sexual chemistry which is something Finchel has always lacked. Then again the credibility of your review went out the window when you said Cory was on par with Lea acting wise. Dean isnteitherbut let's not insult Lea by suggesting Cory is somehow her equal lol

you are responding to a reviewer's take on the episod; he recounts what he saw and give his opinions on what he say; that's why it's a review. he is not insulting Lea by his comment about her playing opposite somebody (Cory) at the same level. Both Cory and Lea have received raving reviews on their work in the season 3 finale, so this reviewer is not talking cheap; there is evidence to support his views. On the other hand, I'm still waiting to see any raving reviews from legitimate and credible critics about Lea's work with this actor playing the Brody character, and the clock is ticking. Tick tock, tick tock....

Jon, just like the reviewer I'm posting my opinion and given this is a comments section I am free to do so. I think Lea is a far superior actor to Cory, far superior. Telling me other reviewers said that Lea and Cory were both great during one scene isn't going to change my mind. For me Lea's best acting in the series comes opposite Chris, Jon Groff and Idina Menzel while some of her weakest comes against Cory. Showing she shines when truly challenged and struggles to hold up the weak link that is Cory Monteith. That's my view, so I'm saying I disagree with the reviewers assessment which I'm entitled to. I also said I didn't think Dean was on par with Lea, I merely said I liked their chemistry and though the reviewer lost credibility when they said Cory was on par with Lea as, like I said, I completely disagree.

Is acting subjective ? Yes..however, arguably if you have talent it does show by what trainers or schools have accepted you and ultimately on your resume by who hired you. So it's very easy to end this argument. Go to imdb.com and compare

Granny Glee Fan, compare who Lea and Cory? Cause Lea has been nominated for an Emmy and 2 Golden Globes while Cory hasn't. So call me when he gets nominated for more than a Teen Choice Award and we'll talk :)

Justine, maybe Jon shouldn't have been a condescending asshole then and then the comment wouldn't have been needed :)

Granny Glee Fan, talent is inborn, it cannot be taught in any school. The best schools can only refine it and improve on it; and not everybody is lucky enough to be formally schooled. In fact, real life is arguably the best teacher of all, and could provide us the best learning we could ever have. Some of the best actors that ever lived have not been formally schooled and we saw how their real life experiences only added gorgeous layers to their portrayals of their characters on screen. Just my contribution to this conversation.

Rita - Schools like Carnegie Mellon, Yale, CCM, U Mich etc admit based on having some talent yes but it's raw talent or potential. Acting is HIGHLY competitive with 1000's of actors fitting a role. Yes school improves on natural talent but are you familiar with training? Actors never stop training their entire lives. Ever heard of Meisner, Stanislavski, etc? Yes you might find some successful actor that bypassed college or conservatory training but they are rare. Today to be competitive you not only see more BFAs the parts are going to MFAs. If you don't think getting a MFA can lead to being a great actor look at one MFA Yale named Meryl Streep.

Lauren - no sorry I was saying compare the resumes of the actors playing Finn and Brody.

Granny Glee Fan, yes, compare the actors playing Finn and Brody, and who has more movie credits to date? Yes, training is important, but inherently talended actors who have not been afforded the opportunity to train formally can be as effective and as successful as those who have the opportunity to go school. I was not arguing against having a good formal education; I was just saying that having a good formal education need not make one a better actor than another who has not been afforded such good fortune. Talent and a good work ethic can bring one to great places if he/she perseveres.

Given Brochel trended worldwide and all shippers who dislike Finchel (so any Rachel fan that actually cares about Rachel) is on board with this ship as being superior to the toxic mess that is Finchel, I hope Brody stays wound for a while. Super hot and finally a guy that is an equal to Rachel and who can keep up with her

Girl, what are you talking about? Finn and Rachel were not a toxic relationship and this Bordy guy is clearly only after getting in Rachel's pants. And how can you judge a relationship based on 15 minutes in 3 episodes? You might not like Finn, but at least be objective and not hope for anything but Finn.

Not OP but Finchel was a toxic relationship and I say this as someone who used to ship them hardcore. In S3 they were so dependent on each other as a fan of both it was heartbreaking to watch them lose themselves in their relationship. s3 made me give up on them as a couple and made me want them with different people. I like Brochel so far, I'm giving it a go.

And I like Finn, I just don't think he is right for Rachel or she is right for him

Matilda, and you think somebody like Finn who gave up his happiness to give Rachel a push to pursue her dreams is toxic? And you were heartbroken watching them lose themselves in their relationship? How are you supposed to behave with someone whom you consider as the love of your life then? You would rather Rachel be with somebody who only tells her what she wants to hear? At least Finn truly cared for her that there were times he had to call her out on her crazy; that to me is what real love is all about, and not a toxic relationship at all. If that is toxic, I don't know what the baseline is for real love these days.

Janet, I respect that that is how you view the relationship but I disagree.

I've been in love before and I've had long term relationships, and the clinginess and 'my life is nothing without you' is purely the stuff of soap operas and conveys, IMO, a completely unhealthy ideal of what a relationship should be. Moreover, at 17 I thought I was with 'the love of my life', but boy I'm glad people didn't hold that over my head everytime I dated someone new as I was wrong. At 17 you may feel that way, and really truly feel that that person is the one, but when it's the only serious relationship you've had you can't know for sure.

I want Rachel with someone who pushes her, not someone who actually has her seriously consider giving up on her dreams to be with him. I also believe that Finn set Rachel free because he knew he was going somewhere she couldn't follow, and if he hadn't decided to join the army he would have happily let her stay in Lima with him which would have eventually left her with regret IMO.

Finn tried to and often encouraged Rachel to compromise herself for him and for their relationship. Rachel did the same. IMO they both love the ideal the other represents, but not the person they actually are.

So while I respect your opinion, my view on their relationship is that it is one of the must unhealthy and toxic relationships I've seen on TV and yes I do prefer Brody to Finn as of right now. That might change if Finn grows up and Rachel grows up enough so they can have a healthy relationship where they are not so dependent on each other

Matilda: Until the last sentence in your third paragraph, I could follow the thinking. Didn't agree but could see how someone would reason that way but that sentence torpedoes rationality. You, for reasons that are not clear, have disregarded what Finn actually said to conclude that he would have been happy to have Rachel stay in Lima if he hadn't decided to join the Army. You ignore that he said that the thought of Rachel deferring for him made him sick. You ignore that he said he joined the army, in part, to go somewhere she couldn't follow. You have him lying to her about his motives and his feelings with no evidence to support it. It betrays a bias against the character that renders reason redundant.

Love reading your reviews! Thank you. I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Brody. The character is very bland and the actor while very nice to look at, is simply not a strong enough actor. And as far as his singing goes, the song choice may be part of the problem, but he definitely did not impress me. It is clear they did a lot of work in the studio, but still couldn't save that song. Such a waste!

thank you for your review and for putting in an honest opinion about the brody guy. i am just disappointed at the way the showrunners seem to have thrown their main star (lea michele) under the bus by the turn her character seems to be taking. i hope her redemption does not come too late; viewers have very short attention spans; if they get pissed off and tune out because of bad storytelling and lazy writing, then it's difficult to hook them back on again. lea and cory are two of my favorites in glee, and i have no doubt they do can do a stellar job at acting out the angst the writers seem keen to give them this season. i am just puzzled why the showrunners had to settle for the actor playing the brody guy; a total dud he is, i agree with you.

Leah, please don't blame Finchel on the loss of millions; it actually started with Fuinn 2.0, an example of bad writing, unnecessary drama, and disappointed fans who love Finn and Rachel and could not stand the way the writers introduced a conflict that was just disingeneous. Overall, Glee just may have lost the edge and novelty of season 1; it became too mainstream in pursuit of iTunes sales and tweens, and somehow lost the glee that made it so successful in the first place. now it's just morose and dark and not funny at all.

Agree with this review minus the Brody stuff. Sure he isn't the strongest actor but his intense chemistry with Lea makes the story compelling viewing to watch. Been waiting since Jesse to actually like someone Rachel is paired with and who actually has chemistry with her. So thank you Dean and Brody

glad to see finn hudson back even only for a brief moment on screen. that precious moment helped wipe out the bad taste of glee, and the disappointment at rachel's actions. we know the writers thrive on pushing the limits of finchel fans; we get that you derive utter enjoyment from seeing us squirm. but everyting has a tipping point; we love cory and lea more than we love glee. sorry, but we are just hurting right now, and cannot guarantee how long we can go on grinning and accepting the crap thrown our way before we give up. rachel seems to have given up on finn; we can do so with glee, too if need be.

So Finn ignores Rachel for months and somehow I'm meant to root for him here? No I'm a Rachel fan and I used to ship Finchel but last season ruined them for me. And Brody IMO is really good for her. He makes her laugh and she's clearly into him so I'm on board. Also holy chemistry. Damn they're hot together

he was in the army, and if you are not aware of army rules, nobody is allowed regular communication to the outside world while in boot camp. so that doesn't necessarily excuse rachel from what she did, even if she felt lonely and gave in during a weak point. she's a needy girl and wants constant attention. maybe she deserves brody after all. she seems to have not learned anything from season 3 anyway; she should just self destruct by getting together with somebody who appears to be as shallow a character as she seems to be after all.

Do you know anything about the army Florian? Cause while no regular contact is true they can still contact people. Finn let her go and made no effort to talk to her for months. So good for her for moving on and honestly if that is how you view her then you're a Finn stan and not a Rachel fan at all. Keep hating on her but she's a better character then Finn could dream of being

i don't care if rachel's chemistry with brody skyrockets to the heavens, as some reviewers seem to insist. the important point is, does rachel getting together with this brody guy make sense in the long-term arc of rachel? i don't think he figures in a significant way at all, in my opinion. i just feel sorry for lea michele; how frustrating it must be to act opposite someone who cannot really challenge you and make the experience of utmost joy from an artistic point of view.

Personally I think a long term relationship for Brochel makes a lot of sense. They have common interests, he challenges her and supports her, she's obviously very comfortable with him and they're both attracted to each other. That seems promising to me

GIA, a long term relationship between the two of them would be very boring, it's tv, not real life. They tried to sell sex here, but I found myself very unconfortable during the song yesterday. That's not the Rachel Berry everyone fell in love with. I hope the put her back on the right direction.

Totally disagree with you. I think a long term relationship between them would be far more interesting than the alternative which is boring Finchel.

You felt uncomfortable during the song, that's fine, I thought it was sexy as hell.

I have to wonder what Rachel Berry you fell in love with then, cause while she is growing up there was still a lot of S1 Rachel present here IMO. She went after what she wanted, she was determined and her backbone, which went missing somewhere during S3, was definitely there to be seen. I hope this Rachel stays around

I'm totally okay with Finn and Rachel being apart because, let's be real, the pair needed to grow up a bit, but this new guy is like watching Lea Michele try to act flirty with a brick. And it's not Lea's fault since she could totally have chemistry with a brick, but it'd be nice if the brick at least gave her something back. It feels like Glee has taken a ride on the CW Let's Hire People Just Because They Look Good With Their Shirts Off train.

That said, I'm actually looking forward to the season going forward after this episode. I'm not so tied to Finchel that I can't be excited to see the pair get some individual development and grow up, especially if it means a chance for Cory and Lea to stretch their acting chops since they're, imo, the best this show's got. I do hope they end this obvious attempt by Rachel to change herself to fit into the city soon because I think that's all that Brody is about. Lea wants to see Rachel be single in the city for a while, so let it happen. I can get behind that. What I can't get behind is them making an actual relationship out of Brody and Rachel (sooo not fair to Lea to stick her with him) and then giving Finn a new someone, too, only to have them "realize they're tethered" and get back together in the last episode of season 4. Please try for once not to be so trite, Glee, because that's the kind of story I'm not going to stick around for.

Honestly the Brochel storyline captured my attention in a way Finchel never managed to. I hope the writers let it grow and don't cower under the obnoxious Finchel stans and actually explore this amazing chemistry

Every day I get hate for not liking Finchel and preferring Brochel so I'm calling those fans obnoxious because they are. I didn't call all Finchel fans obnoxious but merely the bullies. I stand by that

LOL The writers have never cowered under the "obnoxious" Finchel stans for three years, why would they do that now? They've taken this couple through so many ups and downs, I think they broke up 3 or 4 times already? It's a TV relationship. It's always going to be tumultuous.

i don't really like this show and i'm just watching it for Jake and Marleyas for Brody , he is a dud , all he can say is that he likes Rachel and he finds her attractiveOH WE GET IT BRODY he is a very boring character.As for Finn , he is not really interesting too but that's not the point. I don't buy the Rachel/Brody thing , it's just superficial , an hot dude and an hot chick making outoh that's very very very entertaining.

Your review of the Brody\rachel nonsense was so spot on and perfect. I seriously hate and cant stabd him and he is defintely hiding something. im still so very angry with Rachel and the destruction they have done to my favorite character. She is so unrecognizable, all I see is Lea now. I understand you change in college, I def did, but you don't get a hole new personality in a month. I get that she is trying to accept her freedom and is lonely and then Brody is there to make her feel good and she likes the attention. It was so rushed and gross. The make out was disgusting and cringeworthy. Lea has chemsitry with everyone, so it's kinda obvious they would. Finchel has deep beautiful chemsitry while all they have is sexual. If they let Finchel have hot make outs like in in Never been kissed they'd get to show if off. I know this Brody thing is just a stall, but will this long heart wrenching journey a fully give me a satisfying sexfilled and beautiful region, not at the last five seconds either. I want them alone and to grow and mature and then get back together and get married. They belong together. The Break Up is gonna be my determiner if I still love this show. They have to do this Finchel storyline just right or it won't be rootball anymore. Holding onto hope, this ep was boring. The best part was Finn showing up. Cory is such an amazing subtle actor. Showed everything with just his facial expressions. My heart ached for him and I just wanted to hold him when he saw Brody. Rachel has some redeeming to to do. Love her and Finn. Please reunite them soon. Finchel forever

Thank you for the shout out to Finchel fans. We know we will survive this, just as we survived Fuinn 2.0. Cory and Lea are amazing actors and the way they bring life to Finn and Rachel is just amazing, and we will keep holding on to the thought that they both love the Finchel story. No matter where the writers take their story, we hope that they keep the integrity of the characters intact for at the end of the day, that's what makes the TV characters, or any character for that matter, iconic and will remain forever in the hearts and minds of the viewers.

If only for the hope that Lea Michele will soon be back to sharing romantic scenes with someone at her level. - EXACTLY........ Dean is an awful actor.. i really don't know HOW he is in Glee... please... Lea have more chemistry with a Orange or a Apple lol

I, too, like so much of what Brennan did here, especially with the McKinley side of the story. It was funny, and I loved the full-on reappearance of Sue as Sue was created to be. Some great one-liners, visual gags, and fantastic use of the Artie/Brittany connection and a nod to the fact that it was never mentioned at all last year after they dated almost all of S2. For the first time they're really giving Blaine a story of his own, and acknowledging that up 'til now he's only existed to be a part of Kurt's story; I really like how they handled this for both of them. Seeing Kurt focusing in a a story of his own was great too. And Chord Overstreet's impressions are 100% win.

And I'm with you on the flaw in what should be a great story for Rachel's development in the new triangle: the idea is important, even necessary. But the actor can't act. Every line he's delivered so far on the show has fallen flat to me, and it's dragging the story down with it. This may be heightened even more by the fact that they've put him against one of the best actors on the show, making his lacks all the more glaring in comparison. Why the show went in this direction, instead of getting an actor who is of Lea's caliber, and of the caliber of the other guys she's played opposite in major stories -- Cory Monteith and Jon Groff -- is incomprehensible to me. It's rotten for Lea, who should have the opportunity to act this story out to its utmost with someone who can pace her, rather than someone who -- as we saw in the choreography in their duet -- is far behind her and can't keep up.

Couldn't disagree more with you regarding Brody/Rachel, which is odd as I normally agree with your reviews. While I can say Dean isn't the world's greatest actor, he's a great dancer and he has a decent voice and there is something very endearing about how he plays Brody IMO. Also there is no denying that he has incredible chemistry with Lea which is sadly something Finchel has always lacked. Great platonic chemistry, but no spark IMO.

Brody is a very likeable character and I was chuffed to see Brochel trend worldwide (it happened, deal with it). As a Rachel fan I want more Brochel and less Finchel

great, brochel trended, but how come we don't see it being blogged about in the internet, save for a few comments here and there, and probably from the same person. and btw, brochel does really sound like a place that has negative connotations, so better look for a more palatable sounding name for your ship.

The way they're writing Rachel is just really sad. You should want to root for Rachel and frankly I want to stuff her in a trash bag and throw her into the Hudson river. It's obvious she just wants to be wanted and she still has a horrible view on herself, how she thinks people just settle for her. But now that she's got wavy hair, some heavy eyeliner, and some go-go boots she's a totally new confident woman, and of course it's bullsh*t because if Brody and Rachel had a solid chance it wouldn't be this rushed and god bless for that because Brody is as interesting as cardboard.Their performance was well.. it was dumb it's right up there with the Thong song from season 1 and Gwyneth Paltrow trying to cover Adele. Also I'm really tired of love triangles and that seems to be the only way Glee knows how to create drama. When the promise of Season 4 being split between Lima and New York I was excited and so ready to see the returning grads; Rachel,Finn,Kurt and Santana co-exist together but so far all I've watched is bad episode after bad episode and I don't even want to go through watching episode 4.

I'm so glad to not be part of the Finchel fandom when all they seem to do is tear down Brody and Dean in order to prop up Cory and Finn.

I don't hate Finchel, I just don't feel like they were right for each other and seeing Rachel with Brody highlighted that for me. I think they were high school sweethearts who just aren't destined to make the distance.

Pat, how did you come to this conclusion from last night's episode? It was all Rachel and that Brody person and Finn only came at the last few seconds. Were you so mesmerized by that Rachel/Finn scene that it engendered this sudden realization that they don't have an ounce of chemistry?

Natalie- I don't think you understand me, I realised that Finchel never had an ounce of the chemistry Brochel had when I saw all the hotness that was Brochel tonight. Not just comparing Finchel in tonight to Brochel tonight, but Finchel in general to Brochel.

Agree about not missing the newbies, the original cast is what made this show and their talent outshines any of the new cast. Also yes SJP was a wonderful addition to the show. Love her!

However, I honestly think at this stage that Brody is more interesting and more right for Rachel than Finn is. I also don't think Cory is that superior to Dean and for me a natural chemistry can make a pairing and what Dean needs to work on acting wise, he definitely has an edge on Cory when it comes to chemistry with Lea. Because Lea/Dean have fantastic natural chemistry that has progressed from ep 1 to now in such a way that it just constantly captures my attention.

Having said that, I'd prefer single Rachel with her BFF Kurt and trying to figure out NYADA then any sort of blossoming relationship. But, romantically I'm team Brody over Team Finn